Robinson R22 BETA accident near Willimantic, Connecticut, August 6, 1997
On August 6, 1997 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Robinson R22 BETA (helicopter), registered N717GT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willimantic, Connecticut (Windham airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot misunderstood the flight instructor's instructions and reduced the engine power to idle, and the Certificated Flight Instructor's delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1997 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Willimantic, Connecticut · Windham
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N717GT · registry record · serial 1422
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot flew his first two flights with another instructor. After practicing various maneuvers and while hovering at about 10 feet AGL with a new instructor, the student pilot was asked to return to their home airport to practice auto rotations. The student pilot turned the throttle to idle and the helicopter impacted the ground before the instructor could recover. The student pilot stated that he mistakenly thought the instructor requested an auto rotation from their present location, as he had done on his previous flights. No mechanical problems were reported by the instructor or the student.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 363 hours in all; 357 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 301 as pilot in command; 15 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 829 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 30, 1997; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northeast Helicopter INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 7B9 Ellington CT at 4:38 pm
- Destination: 7B9 CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from IJD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.